Captain Eldridge House

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Wells, ME
Captain Eldridge House

Historic home built in 1820 located in Wells, Maine. Originally built for a sea captain, Captain Eldridge.

12/07/2023

Frosty start… ❄️

09/17/2023

The last couple nights have brought some very pretty skies.

09/12/2023

It’s been a minute. Time to steam some wallpaper off….

05/28/2023

It’s amazing how flowers and trees can be neglected for years and still bloom. Bearded irises on show.

01/22/2023

It’s all about the morning light pouring through the cupola for me. 😍

11/10/2022

It took a couple years … but we finally finished painting the last side of the house. Thanks to a wonderful willing painter for doing this not so fun task. This side alone was 80 hours of labor (first it required him to cut the invasive trees that have in the last few years grown up on this north side of the house so he could even get to it!), then the scraping, repairing, priming & 2 coats of paint. She’s a beauty now.

11/07/2022

I love the afternoon sun in this room.

11/06/2022

The joy of painting a ceiling. (there is none until you are done: sure you haven’t missed a spot, recoated the spots you found you missed, & cleaned up) then…and only then.

11/04/2022

It’s the little things… (that will add up). The house is so ready for use in some areas and a hot mess in so many others. Piece by piece.

11/03/2022

Sometimes you need to do things twice to get it right?! I realized this summer walking thru the house that the ceiling in this room had peeled. I took almost 2 years for my mistake to show but alas… if you’ve been following or look back you’ll see how many of the ceilings had peeling paint. They have to be scraped, the calcimine (a powder-the problem) has to be wiped off, a calcimine recoater (special paint) is applied, then finally the normal ceiling paint goes on. I remember I messed something up with the process on this room but only after it was too late. No surprise it peeled. Today I began to remedy that. I scraped & wiped (with warm running water for a change!) and will apply special paint tomorrow.

10/28/2022

I’m cleaning really… maybe playing just a little too 😉. We’ve had this “box” of keys forever in the house mostly to things long since gone … today I decided to make them into something pretty on the table to enjoy.

09/04/2022

Yesterday our painter friend finished the cupola, the north gable end of the addition and a few touch ups.
We will tackle the last side (north side of house) in spring 2023 which will first involve having an invasive species cut all back in late fall that has gone nuts in the last couple years. Check out today’s story for a photo from one year ago! She’s come a long way!

07/21/2022

We refer to this house as the “White Elephant” (for many reasons) and we are restoring & repairing it one bite at a time (just like how you eat an 🐘). 😉
New exterior lights this week replaced the mismatched, non functioning, old (but not old enough to be cool/original) ones.

07/19/2022

One day (soon I hope) these rooms will be filled with pretty flowers & people, but for now it’s an amazing setting for photos.

07/07/2022

This porch is finally fully painted & we were able to get furniture back on it just this morning (it’s been 3 years since we’ve set it up). Still some more small things (always) but it looks so pretty having it put back together and the fresh paint & that blue ceiling 😍!!! String lights on order!

07/01/2022

Some big changes this week on Eldridge corner. As we (my amazing painter) continues to progress with exterior painting I had an idea to paint the white deck skirting & grey painted deck boards black. It felt scary at first but now that it’s done we all love it! It’s not historically accurate but that’s not my goal.

06/22/2022

Scored this cutie yesterday for the upstairs porch! We still need to get solid stain on the upstairs deck boards and then can get her set up with furniture & this awesome light fixture (best part is it unplugs so can be moved inside seasonally). Thanks .me !

06/16/2022

Feeling inspired lately to get my attention back on to the future of this building now that the outside is looking so pretty again. I have sooooo many ideas (they wake me up they are so noisy rattling around!) The last couple weeks I’ve really been thinking I need to find an investor/partner to see this project into fruition with me. Not just for money (but yes please) but to help dream, plan & manage the project & building there after. This morning I was again spurred on after reading about a fantastic preservation project in Brooklyn Maine by 3 creative men of Oddfellow’s Hall in June issue. So if anyone knows anyone that might jive well with me, loves old houses, has entrepreneurial aspirations & wants to jump into a project 🙋‍♀️

06/15/2022

The second floor porch is looking amazing. Two panels however are too badly damaged for repair & continuing life outside. We will however repair them a bit & give them new life inside. It’s amazing to think how old these are & that someone created them all with hand tools.

06/11/2022

I’ve waited for this day for a looong time. Still two coats of white to go but WHAT a transformation! The haint blue ceiling is 👌🏻, nailed it on the first color choice. I don’t believe it ever was blue originally, but it should’ve been. 😍

06/25/2021

No way Cheap Old Houses had ANY idea how perfect this tshirt was for ME when they designed it! Owning & managing Scoop Deck all summer while dreaming & counting down the days until I’m back at renovating old houses, THIS shirt is my jam!

06/02/2021

Had some help today - and got some furniture moved from storage downstairs to upstairs (no easy task around the staircase)! It’s great to start seeing the pieces I’ve bought get into their intended rooms. Most will work I think, but I’m always buying & selling & swapping things out when I find new treasures too! Still lots of work to do & a kitchen to make... but slowly it’s evolving. @ Wells, Maine

05/19/2021

It’s like a different house. 😍 these floors haven’t been naked in at least 75 years, possibly longer. I feel like they are rejoicing. They are sooo beautiful! @ Captain Eldridge House

05/17/2021

...😍... swipe for before... or just stay & enjoy. More pics to come ... I can’t stand how pretty these floors are!!! @ Captain Eldridge House

05/15/2021

I’ve been on the hunt for an antique brass bed since I saw this inspiration photo in it was the Sept 2020 issue in an article referencing, “A Dilapidated Stonington camp..” I related immediately 🤣
I love the custom headboard cushion but it would need to be the right bed with the horizontal bar & it needed to be antique and Queen (I feel renters prefer). Well antique beds were all full/double so I never could find one. Then today I found this on marketplace & tada it’s everything! The man had welded an extension onto the middle of the side rails to accommodate a queen mattress! And at $75 😳 you drive 45 min pronto & go pickup!! 👏🏼👏🏼 @ Captain Eldridge House

05/13/2021

Picked up this cute lil’ drop leaf set locally for $55! It needed a good scrubbing but it’s perfect. We had a round table in the existing kitchen before & it was always too big for the space & in the way. Plus I love the pop of color this adds.

05/12/2021

My plan was to have only the floors in the rooms I’ve completed refinished. But the existing kitchen on the main floor was just terrible. It had linoleum on it that had been painted 🤦🏼‍♀️ that I had pulled up 5 or so years ago to expose the red painted wood, but even when clean was always 🤢 The room is used in summer so I chose to have it done also as a surprise for summer tenant. And WOW! 😍 now of course I want to do this room over! 🤣 but... 🍦first. @ Captain Eldridge House

05/11/2021

A lil’ sneak peek on a HUGE transformation the house is currently undergoing. @ Captain Eldridge House

04/25/2021

Thank you for the online tutorial our original clawfoot tub is now cleaner than it’s been in 40 years! 😵 even those 40 year old grippy flowers came off !!
Our fabulous plumber installed our new tub faucet (she’s a beauty) & gave me 💧 and then it was time for the elbow grease! @ Captain Eldridge House

04/21/2021

1946, when my husband’s family bought the property.

Address

Wells, ME
04090

Website

https://www.facebook.com/donate/190250759538075/10164864547900364/

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I’ll admit yesterday was a bit overwhelming. I arrived at the property to discover 2 political signs had been stolen from property, it was grey & gloomy weather which I never do well with, I decided to tackle scraping the front door and then quickly realized that was a daunting project I needed more tools and advice for. I went back to scraping wallpaper upstairs & felt overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done even for the small section of the house I’m tackling. Beginning work feels good like we’re on the road to recovery but it’s also a messy process ... some days are easier to see the finish line is all. #TodayisaNewDay . . #oldhouselove #renovationblues #itllgetworsebeforeitgetsbetter #wegotthis💪

One bedroom stripped... discovered the boxed in area at ceiling and corner was actually wood (I expected it to be plaster). I don’t know why it’s boxed in because there are no pipes in there?! But I think the wood adds interesting character to the room and will not be recovered with paper!